NJ Transit’s annual fare increases until the end of time begin Monday.

Ticket prices at the public transportation agency go up 15% — and even more for riders who use expiring discount programs — starting July 1, the first rise in fares in nine years and the start of 3% annual fare increases going forward.

These are among the controversial changes NJ Transit’s board approved in April to help address some of the agency’s chronic funding shortages. The fare hikes would help close the $106 million budget gap that had been predicted for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The agency also identified $96 million in internal cuts and other “efficiencies” to help balance its budget.

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The comes on the heels of brutal, near-daily hours-long commutes for rail riders to and from Manhattan because of equipment failures, while some bus riders in the region face uncertainty amid bankruptcy proceedings from Coach USA.

A consultant hired by the Murphy administration is also hunting for ways to give the agency a 20% budget haircut, the equivalent of $600 million, before the end of the year. The work of the consultant — and its main charge to find wide-ranging budget cuts — was withheld from the public while the decision over the fare hikes was being debated.

Agency officials have said riders would prefer predictable increases over the sporadic large hikes every number of years. Other public transportation agencies, such as SEPTA in Philadelphia and the MTA in New York City, have begun instituting indexed or more planned increases, but NJ Transit’s plans would likely escalate their fares well ahead of their peer agencies.

Corporate transit fee

Meanwhile, the agency is also expected to receive a new infusion of revenue through the corporate transit fee proposed by Gov. Phil Murphy, a 2.5% surcharge taxed on corporations that earn more than $10 million a year in profit. The tax’s fate is in the hands of the Legislature negotiating a budget deal this week.

Here’s what else riders should expect amid Monday’s fare increase:

• Monday’s increase is 15%; all the July 1s after that will be 3% hikes

• NJ Transit’s refund program for those who bought one-way or 10-trip tickets can begin seeking refunds August 1

• All paper and 10-trip tickets now expire after 30 days, starting the day of purchase

• July 1 also marks the end of FlexPass, a popular, post-pandemic discount program that offered a monthly 20% discount with the purchase of 20 tickets.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Transit fares will spike by 15 percent, starting July 1